Israel sees 50,000 Syrian fighters backed by Iranian

March 14, 2013|Reuters

JERUSALEM, March 14 (Reuters) - Iran and its Lebanese allyHezbollah have built up a 50,000-strong army of Syrianmilitiamen to help the army keep President Bashar al-Assad inpower, Israel's military intelligence chief said on Thursday.

Major General Aviv Kochavi said the two Israeli foes, inaddition to providing Assad's forces weapons and intelligence todefeat rebel fighters, are also hedging their bets by trying toestablish a foothold in Syria for after his regime falls.

Around 70,000 people have been killed in Syria's23-month-old conflict, which grew into an armed revolt afterstreet protests against four decades of autocratic rule by Assadand his late father were met by live ammunition.

The war has worsened sectarian tensions, and Kochavi,speaking at the Herzliya conference on strategy and diplomacy,described a Syria crumbling into ruins.

Since last summer, a "people's army", financed by Iran andtrained by Hezbollah has been established in Syria, he said.

"This army consists of about 50,000 people, deployed in ahierarchy around Syria, operating beside the army units, whichare collapsing or not collapsing in different places. And theplan is to increase this army to 100,000 people," Kochavi said.

Kochavi said Assad is facing an opposition force of about100,000 people. Also fighting the government is a separatelyfinanced group of about 10,000 radical jihadists, many armedwith "relatively advanced weapons", he said.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah, one of Lebanon's strongestfactions, is a major ally of Assad, whose minority Alawite sectis an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

Iran and Hezbollah realise that Assad will soon fall, Kochisaid, and are making preparations for the day after.

"The people's army that they are building is, among otherthings, a foot in the door to Syria. In the first stage, toprotect their Shi'ite interests, in the second stage theirassets, and the third stage, from within this army will emerge aleadership to vie to lead Syria after Assad's fall," he said.